NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, Mass., (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CollegeWeekLive, the world's leading provider of online college admissions events, today announced annual growth of 56% to a total of 1.2 million registrants and growth of 67% in unique website visitors in 2012. New product announcements and recent strategic partnerships with the U.S. Department of State and Univision Communications, a global media company, fueled that growth and enabled the popular provider of virtual college fairs to reach a broader worldwide audience of teenage students actively researching higher education opportunities.

On average, more than 100,000 high school teens and their parents visit CollegeWeekLive each month. Colleges that participated in CollegeWeekLive in the last year saw nearly 1 million students visit their virtual exhibit booths. What's more, the students who login to CollegeWeekLive as part of their college search are diverse, hailing from all fifty states and a remarkable 191 countries.

"This has been a year of exciting expansion for CollegeWeekLive," said Robert Rosenbloom, President and CEO. "Our events now reach college-bound students in 97.5% of countries worldwide. We formed strategic partnerships that enable our free online college admissions tools and events to reach a more geographically and ethnically diverse audience."

Univision Communications partnered with CollegeWeekLive to offer a free online college fair as part of Univision's well-promoted annual Education Week. The online event addressed the higher education needs of Hispanic and Latino students and their families. In addition, the U.S. State Department partnered with CollegeWeekLive to stage the Education USA International Virtual College Fair, which was designed to meet the unique needs of non-U.S. citizens worldwide interested in attending college in the United States. In both instances, CollegeWeekLive was selected based on its leadership position as the preeminent technology provider of online college admissions events that feature live chat, streaming video presentations and interactive Q&A.

Both events offered presentations on topics such as the academic skills required to succeed in college, the credentials needed for a non-U.S. citizen to apply to a U.S. college, and how to apply for financial aid and scholarships. "The International Virtual College Fair was a resounding success," said Marty Bennett, Education USA Outreach Coordinator at the Institute of International Education (IIE). "We had students log in and attend from countries around the world, ranging from Bahamas and Bermuda, to China, Mongolia and Poland."

CollegeWeekLive (www.CollegeWeekLive.com) is the leading website for free online college fairs and admissions events. At CollegeWeekLive, college-bound students can chat live with admissions representatives, see college students sharing their campuses experiences live via video, and learn from video presentations on the college application and admissions process.